DrMaruf Ali

Dr Maruf Ali is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Molecular and Structural Biology in the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London. His research aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms that enable cells to maintain the quality of proteins under both normal and stress conditions. In particular, his work focuses on the regulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis and the cellular stress responses that preserve ER function. His laboratory uses a multidisciplinary approach combining cryo‑electron microscopy, biochemical methods, and cellular techniques to address these fundamental questions.

Maruf graduated with a BSc (First Hons) in Biochemistry from Queen Mary, University of London, in 1999, before completing a PhD in the School of Crystallography at Birkbeck, University of London, in 2003, where he worked on the structures of outer membrane proteins. He then joined the laboratory of Prof Laurence Pearl FRS at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, investigating the structural biology of Hsp90 chaperone complexes. During this period, he developed a strong interest in ER homeostasis and the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), leading to the award of a CRUK Career Development Fellowship and the establishment of his independent research group at Imperial College London in 2009.

He obtained a Senior CRUK Fellowship in 2016 and was appointed to Reader in 2022. His research has uncovered novel mechanisms underlying ER stress sensing by the UPR, as well as new insights into the regulation of the ER Hsp70 chaperone BiP. His laboratory has been supported by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and the Medical Research Council (MRC). He has served on a range of internal and external committees and is currently a steering committee member of the Proteostasis UK network.